The Beer Fire Spreads Across the Whole Bay Area

Cheesy title, I know. So I’m a little late to this, the writing part and not the reading part, but I came across this list of top breweries in San Francisco. Well, it actually puts itself in a place of best places for craft beer. And it’s not truly just places in San Francisco proper. Also, it doesn’t really say top breweries, it says it’s a heat map. So, with me being a geek and seeing “heatmap”, I clicked immediately.

This list supports my issues with all of these top beer cities lists. Many of them, when giving examples, will credit San Francisco for places like Russian River or Lagunitas. It’s in the area, but a bit of a long haul. But I’ve also seen Three Floyds credited to Chicago, so maybe some lists just label the greater areas someone may drive to and home from for the night. I feel this list fits the San Francisco parameters better than most.

That’s it. I’m easy. The food thing may be a bit snobbish, but if you’re serving food, which many breweries do, don’t just do grilled meats or everything fried please. And this list has good places that generally fit my checklist. Here’s so bits from this list I wanted to comment on:

Last true brewery I went to was on the list, Sunset Reservoir, which was really just meh

The next one I’m going to go to and damn excited about, Alameda Island

The first one I went to at least 10 times way back when I was young, though Thirsty Bear is next to Moscone Center where I worked a lot of events and I haven’t been there for at least 5 years

A great one to eat at that I haven’t been back to in almost 2 years in Sopac

My favorite little known one that I tell everyone to go to with Barrel Head

I hope to get something done about list like this. Or maybe lists about these great beer cities and make that heat map national. But this is a good list to go by for the bay area and try to get to all of them. And not really a heat map, but follow the light of the flame to all of these.